ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Lagos State House of Assembly member representing Surulere Constituency I, Desmond Elliot, has explained his role in the controversial impeachment process against former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, insisting he signed the impeachment notice while outside the country and under the impression it had presidential backing.
Elliot gave the clarification during a live interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he responded to remarks by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, suggesting that he nearly lost his job over alleged intelligence linking him to the impeachment move.
The actor-turned-politician said the incident occurred while he was on a trip abroad with his wife in January 2025, stressing that he was not in Nigeria when the impeachment was initiated.
“I would like to state categorically that I wasn’t in the country. My wife and I travelled during the period of January 13th of 2025,” he said.
According to him, the trip was a family engagement, adding that they had travelled to attend a wedding.
“We were in recess and then it was an opportunity for us to travel to attend my wife’s younger sister’s wedding,” Elliot explained.
He further stated that while he was in South Africa, news of Obasa’s impeachment broke, describing it as shocking and unexpected.
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“That was the time Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa was impeached. It came to me as a shock because I was in South Africa then,” he said, noting that many lawmakers had already signed the impeachment notice before he did.
Elliot said the widespread signatures gave the impression that the move had the backing of the presidency.
“And then I saw that almost everybody had signed. And pretty much we thought it was from the presidency. In all fairness, we thought it was from the presidency,” he stated.
He added that based on that belief, he appended his signature to the document.
“And, of course, I appended my own signature. I believe I was maybe 30-something person at that point in time,” he said.
However, Elliot noted that the situation changed after President Bola Tinubu reportedly intervened, clarifying that the impeachment was not authorised by him.
“But eventually, Mr President called us and made us understand that it was not from him and asked us to return the speaker. And we did,” he added.
Reacting to Gbajabiamila’s comments linking him to allegations surrounding the impeachment, Elliot expressed surprise, describing the remarks as unexpected given their long-standing relationship.
“So, my leader coming to say this that I almost lost his job, one I have served and has also been there for me for this long, that came to me as a shock,” he said.
The impeachment of Obasa in January 2025 had triggered a political crisis in the Lagos Assembly, leading to the emergence of Mojisola Meranda as Speaker before the eventual reinstatement of Obasa after weeks of political consultations and interventions by APC leaders.